Stories: Fundholder Stories

When Pam Moran met Dr. Kenneth Swanson, her world was upside down. Despite surgery, 70% of a tumor remained on her six-month-old son Derek's brain, requiring two and a half years of chemotherapy and MRIs from Dr. Swanson every six months. "I was mad at the...

When Pam Perrin Kostoff recalls the history of Perrin Asphalt Company, she always comes back to a transformative moment in the 1980s. "It was the '80s," she said. "St. Eugene's Church needed its parking lot done; it was just seal coating and striping." But,...

Pearl Leeper Korman grew up in Akron during the Great Depression, leaving college to work outside of the home, which was uncommon for women during this time. She worked full-time, even with a chronic medical condition, and went on to make a number of...

Betty Axline, an Ellet native, spent nearly 40 years working as a secretary for some of the nation's most notable companies: Goodyear Aircraft, General Tire and Chemstrand/Monsanto.  She was a woman of modest means, yet every year she donated her last...

"When I was a child, philanthropy looked like a dress-up party," said Ann Durr, daughter of the late businesswoman and philanthropist Kathryn Hunter. "I remember going with my mom to Birnbaum's. They had this room with a giant chandelier and a pedestal, and...

David and Cheryl Venarge are Akron success stories, but their success didn't come easy. Now, through the David R. and Cheryl L. Venarge Fund, they're keeping a family tradition of giving alive with both their children and grandchildren. Each was raised by...

For art enthusiast Ron Allan, Akron is a fantastic place to live. It was this community where he cultivated his love for the arts and began immersing himself in organizations that promote both art and music. "Akron is so culturally rich," he said. "It is a...

Lou Albertson was just a child when she started giving back to her community. Each Sunday during Lent, she would put her pennies, nickels and dimes into the collection plate at church. As she grew older, those coins turned into dollars and she continued to...

For David and Cheryl Venarge, there is no place quite like Akron. Both were born and raised here by hard-working families that struggled to make ends meet.  Today, as successful business owners and volunteers, they are passionate about giving back to the...

In July 2005, while people were prepping their barbeques for Independence Day, Larry Soper, enslaved by drugs, was planning his suicide.   "I Googled the least painful ways," he said. "There were chat rooms even. It was a very dark place." For years, the...